Chilean Cheer: Why We Break Out the Bubbly to Celebrate

by Remy Melina | October 14, 2010 10:08am ET

As the 33 trapped miners were rescued from a caved-in mine in Chile, the
miners' overjoyed family and friends popped open fizzy bottles of
champagne to celebrate. Why is champagne used to mark special occasions
and what's its significance?

The bubbly, light-colored wine has historically been associated with
luxury and the parties of the royal courts and aristocracy of Europe,
said Kolleen M. Guy, associate professor of history at the University of
Texas at San Antonio and author of "When Champagne Became French" (The
Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003).

"After the French Revolution, it became a part of the secular rituals
that replaced formerly religious rituals," Guy told Life's Little
Mysteries. "You could 'christen a ship' without a priest, for example,
by using the 'holy water' of champagne." The drink came to be opened at
weddings, baptisms and other religious events, she said.

Champagne was originally produced in England, where the technology
for bottling and corking drinks containing
carbon dioxide was developed in the latter part of the 1500s,
according to "Wine Science: Principles and Applications" (Academic
Press, 2008). In 1662, scientist Christopher Merret reported to the
Royal Society of London that adding sugar "promoted effervescence,"
lending champagne its signature sparkle.

However, determining the right amount of sugar required and avoiding
bottle explosions took chemists almost a century to perfect, Ronald S.
Jackson notes in "Wine Science." The original, sweet version became
trendy in Paris among the wealthy, while the English preferred their
champagne dry, and the English wine-making method became prevalent
throughout most of the wine-making world.

The tradition of drinking champagne to mark celebrations originated
in the royal courts of Europe prior to 1789, where the
expensive drink was viewed as a status symbol.

"Royalty loved the novelty of sparkling line. It was said to have
positive effects on women’s beauty and man's wit," Guy said.

Champagne became a world-wide
drinking phenomenon in the late nineteenth century, according to
Guy. Today, it's often used to commemorate joyous occasions, from
smashing bottles against a ship before its maiden voyage to throwing
champagne glasses on the floor at Russian weddings.

"In a secular society, we want to mark both the joy and sanctity of
the occasion," Guy said. "Champagne does this symbolically, but also
visually, since it overflows in abundance and joy."

When the first Chilean miner was safely brought to the surface,
rescue workers uncorked bottles of champagne and sprayed them at the
cheering crowds, but did not drink it, as they had to remain focused on
completing the mission and operate
dangerous machinery, according to news reports.

The act of opening a champagne bottle is enough to mark a
celebration, and in some cases, the bubbling beverage isn't
even consumed during the festivities, Guy said.

"Many athletes and race car drivers have champagne poured on them…but
don’t drink it," she said, "I would say that champagne is important
symbolically."